Pneumatic motor.



PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905. E. DE KLEIST. PNBUMATIG MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED n.10.21,19o3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE DE KLEIST, OF NORTH TONAVVANDA, NEW YORK.A

PNEUMATIC MOTOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed December 21, 1903. Serial No. 185.965.

To all whom it muy concer-n,.- j

Be it known that LEUGENE Dn KLnIsT,a citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda,in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Motors, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates more particularly to the pneumatic motors employed for propelling the perforated music-sheets of piano-players and automatic musical instruments, although the same is also useful for operating other devices. The invention has special reference to motors of this class which comprise a shaft having three or more cranks located progressively around the same, a number of bellows each having its movable board connected with one of said cranks, and valves for controlling the exhaustion of the air from the bellows and the admission of the air thereto in such a manner that the bellows are collapsed successively and caused to impart a continuous rotary motion to the shaft.

One of the objects of my invention is to improve the construction of the valve mechanism with a view of rendering the motor compact and insuring a tight joint between the suction-valves and their seats.

Another object is the provision of simple and convenient means for adjusting the valves, so as to keep the cranks of the motor-shaft off the dead-center.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front elevation ot' the motor with the front plate of the suction-valve chambers removed. Fig. 2 is a transverse Vvertical section in line 2 2, Fig. l, with said front plate in place. Fig. 3 is a similar section taken in a different plane and showing the valves in a different position from that illustrated in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section in line 4 4, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A indicates the casing or wind-board of the motor, and B the crank-shaft, which is journal'ed in standards C, mounted on the casing and from which motion may be transmitted l to the part to be driven by any suitable means.

When the motor is used for propelling a perforated music-sheet, one of the winding-rollers of the sheet is connected with the motorshaft by gearing or an endless chain in awellknown manner.

D indicates the bellows or motor-pneumatics. secured in an upright position to the back of the wind-board and having their movable boards connected with the cranks of the shaft by rods or pitmen e in the usual manner. Each bellows communicates, by means of a passage f, with an upright air channel or duct f', arranged in the upper portion of the windboard, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, these channels being arranged opposite the several bellows` respectively, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. .1. Each of these channels communicates with the atmosphere by an inlet-port g, formed in the front wall of the wind-board. To the outer sides of these inlet-ports sliding inlet-valves g are applied which are guided in suitable ways gz'and connected by rods g3 with lugs g4 at the inner ends of the corresponding pitmen e, so that said valves are opened and closed by the rising and falling movements of said pitmen.

H indicates upright suction-chambers arranged in the lower front portion of the windboard A and closed on all sides. Each of these chambers is connected with the lower end of the adjacent air-channel f by a port z', and with a horizontal suction-channel J by a port y'. This suction-channel is separated from the upright air-channels f by a partition JQ and communicates with an air-trunk la, connected with a suction pump or bellows, (not shown in the drawings,) which exhausts the air from said suction-channel. Each of the suctionchambers H contains a sliding suction-valve arranged to open or close the lower suctionf port j. These suction-valves are guided in suitable ways Z/, secured to the front wall of the wind-board, and each of the same is connected with the companion inlet-Valve g' by a rod m passing through an opening in the top of the corresponding valve-chamber H. The inlet and suction Valves of each pair are connected in such a manner that when the suction-valve is closed the inlet-valve is opened, and vice versa. In order to permit the valves of each pair to be adjusted toward and from each other, the lower endof each connectingrod m is provided with an eye or opening m', which engages over a pin n, carried by the suction-valve, while the upper end of the rod is screw-threaded and engages in a threaded opening formed in a lug 0, projecting from the inlet-valve g. In adjusting the valves the eye of the rod is sprung out of engagement with the pin a, the rod is screwed up or down in the lug 0, and the eye of the rod is then again sprung over the pin.

Each of the connecting-rods g3 is preferably composed of adjustable sections connected at IOO TOS

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their opposing ends by a longitudinal screw p, as shown, so that upon removing the pivotpin at one end of the rod its released section can be turned on the other section for shortening or lengthening the rod, after which said pivot is replaced.

In the operation of the motor when the inlet-valve g of a pair is closed and the suctionvalve Z is open, as shown in Fig. 3, the. air is exhausted from 4the companion bellows through the passage f, upright channel f', suction-ports if, and horizontal suction-channel J, thereby collapsing said bellows and causing the same to turn the motor-shaft about a third of a revolution. When the position of the valves is reversed by the rotation of the shaft, as shown in Fig. 2, thebellows is cut off from the suction-channel J and the atmosphere is allowed to enter the bellows through the open inlet-port g, the channel f', and passage f, thereby expanding the bellows and returning its movable board to its former position. In this manner the three bellows act successively upon the cranks of the motorshaft, rotating the shaft continuously in a manner common to motors of this kind.

The upper ports of the valve-chambers H are preferably so large that they are not fully covered by the suction-valves l in the uppermost position of the latter, as shown in Fig. 2. By this construction when any one of the inlet-valves is open a portion of the atmosphere entering the corresponding chamber f also enters the companion valve-chamber H through the constantly-open port z' and exerts its pressure against the back of the corresponding suction-valve, thereby forcing said valve firmly against its seat and reducing leakage of air past the same to a minimum.

By providing an adjustable connection between each pair of valves and the corresponding crank of the shaft B the'movement of the valves relative to the ports can be properly regulated and any inaccuracies in the position of the cranks can be compensated for, and by providing a similar connection between the companion valves of each pair one valve can be given the proper lead with reference to the other to insure a continuous rotation of the shaft and prevent the cranks from getting on the dead-center.

The arrangement of the suction and air channels J lf one directly below the other and the corresponding arrangementof the sliding suction and air-inlet valves affords the advantage of materially reducing the depth or width of the motor from front to rear, this being desirable when the motor lis used in connection with automatic piano players, in

which compactness is of considerable impor' tance.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a pneumatic motor, the combination with a shaft having a plurality of cranks, of i a series of pneumatics connected with said cranks, a wind-board having air-channels lead-- ing to the respective pneumatics, each of said channels being provided in one of its walls with a suction-port and an air-inlet port arranged in line with each other lengthwise of the channel, sliding suction and inlet valves applied to the corresponding ports of each of said air-channels, a connection between the suction and air-inlet valves of each pair, and means for connecting each pair of valves with the companion crank on said shaft, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pneumatic motor, the combination with a shaft having a plurality of cranks, of a series of pneumatics connected with said cranks, an uprightvwind-board having vertical air-channels leading to the respective pneumatics, each of said channels being provided in one of its walls with a suction-port and an air-inlet port arranged one above the other, sliding suction and air-inlet valves applied to the corresponding ports of each air-channel, a connection between the suction and air-inlet valves of each pair which causes one of said valves to be opened when the other is closed, and means for connecting each pair of valves with the companion crank on said shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. In a pneumatic motor, the combination with a shaft having a plurality of cranks, of a series of pneumatics connectedwith said cranks, a wind-board having upright air-channels leading to the respective pneumatics, each of said channels being provided in one of its walls with a suction-port and an air-inlet port arranged above the suction-port, a suctionchamber applied to said wall over each of said suction-ports and arranged below the corresponding air-inlet port, sliding suction-valves arranged in said chambers and controlling the corresponding ports, sliding valves applied to said air-inlet ports, a connection between the suction and air-inlet valves of each pair, and means for connecting each pair of valves with the companion crank on said shaft, substantially as set forth.

4. In a pneumatic motor, the combination with a shaft having a plurality of cranks, of a series of pneumatics connected with said cranks, a wind-board having air-channels leading to said pneumatics, each of said channels being provided with an air-inlet port, air-inlet valves applied to said ports, a suction-channel, valve-chambers connected by separate ports withsaid air-channels and said suctionchannel, the ports leading from said valvechambers to said air-channels being open at all times,'suctionvalves arranged in said valvechambers and applied to the ports leading from said suction-channel to said chambers, and means for transmitting the motion of said cranks to said air-inletand suction valves, substantially as set forth.

5. In a pneumatic motor, the combination with a shaft having a plurality of cranks, of

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a series of pneumatics connected with said cranks, a wind-board having air-channels leading to the respective pneumatics, each of said channels having an air-inlet port, valves applied to said ports, a suction-channel arranged below said air-channels and separated therefrom by an intervening partition, suctionchambers arranged below said air-inlet ports and each connected with said suction-chamber and one of said air-channels by separate ports located on opposite sides of said partition, suction-Valves applied to the ports which connect said suction-chambers with said suctionchannel, and means for transmitting the motion of said cranks to said suction and air-inlet valves, substantially as set forth.

6. In a pneumatic motor, the combination with a shaft having a plurality of cranks, of a series of pneumatics connected with said cranks, a wind-board having air-channels leading to said pneumatics, each of said channels being provided with an air-inlet port and a suction-port arranged one above the other, sliding air-inlet and suction valves applied to the corresponding ports of each of said channels, one Valve of each pair being provided with a pin and the other with a lug having a screw-threaded opening, a connecting-rod for each pair of valves provided at one end with an opening for receiving said pin and at the other end with a screw-thread engaging in said lug, and a rod connecting each pair of valves with one of said cranks andl composed of sections having their inner ends adjustably connected by a longitudinal screw, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 12th day of November, 1903.

EUGENE DE KLEIST.

Witnesses:

CARL F. GEYER, EMMA M. GRAHAM. 

